City considers hiring lobbying firm

Portland is considering an effort to have a louder voice in Washington.
Pam Price of East Central Regional Planning District on Monday evening presented Portland City Council with a plan to provide the city with a lobbying firm for federal grants.
Council also approved a pay raise for city employees.
At the request of Portland Mayor Randy Geesaman, Price offered the city the opportunity to partner with the rest of the county as well as Henry, Delaware and Grant counties for lobbying services.
She recommended a two-year contract at a cost of between $75,000 and $90,000 with D.C. firm Keller, McIntyre and Associates, with the cost to be split among the participants. She estimated Portland’s cost at $30,000 over two years.
The company would work on behalf of the counties and the cities within the consortium to help with the passage of federal bills and grants that would bring funding back to East Central Indiana, Price said. She added that many cities, Portland included, don’t get as much funding as they could from the national government.
Council member Kent McClung seemed wary of the idea at first.
“What are they giving us that we can’t get on our own?” he asked.
“It’s relationships,” Price responded. “They’re lobbyists.”
Price said staff members at the firm would put pressure and exert influence on national lawmakers to approve grants that would benefit the firm’s clients, she said, and the other communities footing the bill for the service.
“Is this how dysfunctional our (national) government is?” McClung asked. “Why do we have congressman?”
McClung continued to question the necessity of a lobbying firm, mentioning that the city shouldn’t have to pay people to get grants approved when those grants are already on the table in the first place.
Price told the council that the sitting federal politicians in the East Central Indiana region are hesitant to ask for more appropriations.
“In my opinion,” she said, “(the city has) a 75 percent greater chance at getting a grant if it uses (Keller, McIntyre and Associates) rather than going alone.”
“So, they’re kind of like cheerleaders for these grants?” McClung asked, and Price provided examples of other communities, which had grants that were in limbo, and how a lobbying effort could help expedite the acceptance of grants, as well as giving the city a better chance at getting a federal grant in the first place.
Geesaman said many larger, wealthier communities routinely have lobbyists working on their behalf, specifically mentioning Carmel. Jay County Development Corporation executive director Bill Bradley reiterated that point.
McClung suggested tabling the idea for further discussion and fellow council members Bill Gibson, Janet Powers, Judy Aker, Michele Brewster and Don Gillespie agreed.
Council also approved a 3-percent, across-the-board pay increase for city employees.
“I consider it a cost-of-living (increase),” Geesaman said.
In other business, the council, absent Mark Hedges:
•Approved the annual tax abatement compliance report presented by Bradley.
“Many of (the companies with abatements) don’t need many comments because they are very much in compliance,” Bradley told the council.
He singled out Portland Forge as the one company that was “struggling” to meet its compliance targets. He said the current state of the economy is hurting the company and that the tax abatement advisory committee had voted “not to kick them right now.” The Forge’s compliance will be reviewed again in a year, he said.
•Heard from Geesaman that bids for the Safe Routes to School program projects had been accepted by the state and that construction would start on sidewalks from the intersection of Lafayette Street and Creagor Avenue to Judge Haynes Elementary in the fall.
He also informed council members of a contract with Choice One Engineering that was approved recently by the board of works. Choice One will be assessing each of the city’s streets in an effort to attain a 50/50 matching grant from Indiana Department of Transportation. Geesaman said the focus will be on Wayne Street, Industrial Drive and Water Street.
He also noted several recent water main breaks, including a pair on the north side of the city in the last week. He said the city would soon begin a project to replace water lines in that area.
He also mentioned that INDOT would soon begin construction widening the intersection at Votaw and Meridian streets. He said INDOT had also scheduled paving of U.S. 27 between Portland and Bryant for 2017.
•Approved a $2,000 contract with Jefferson Township for the city to provide its fire services with the northern part of the township. The remaining part of the township is covered by Redkey Fire Department, Geesaman said.
•Heard from Geesaman that progress on getting rid of the eyesore created by the demolition of the former book bindery building on Wayne Street is “moving forward.”
•Approved an ordinance to place a stop sign at the intersection of Pierce and Main Streets.
•Heard McClung thank Portland Police Chief Nathan Springer and all city officers for their service.